Read the report.

We’re thinking big about small businesses and brands.

We are proud to share Amazon’s latest Small Business Empowerment Report—our fourth annual look at how Amazon powers the growth of small businesses and brands.

Over 20 years ago, we made the decision to open our store’s virtual shelves to independent, small businesses to sell directly to customers. Today, nearly 2 million selling partners worldwide choose to sell in Amazon’s store—and most of them are small- and medium-sized businesses. We attribute this to our commitment to providing the most effective set of services for creating thriving, successful businesses, fueling a flywheel that delights customers, drives small business success, and furthers economic opportunities in local communities around the world.

Dharmesh speaks on stage at an Amazon Accelerate conference.
Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon's vice president of Worldwide Selling Partner Services, speaks at Amazon Accelerate, where Amazon announced new and improved products, tools, and features to fuel success for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Together, Amazon and its selling partners have created what we believe to be one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the retail industry—with continued growth in new brands being launched in Amazon’s store, rapid growth and success for our existing selling partners, and jobs being created in local communities. In 2021, our U.S. selling partners sold more than 3.9 billion products—an average of 7,500 every minute—in Amazon’s store and averaged about $200,000 in sales per seller. Selling in Amazon’s store has also allowed our selling partners to employ more than an estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S.*

Getting started in retail can be costly and complex, and small businesses have a range of options when deciding how and where to sell their products. This is why we focus on ensuring that Amazon’s store is an amazing place to build and launch a successful brand and that we continue to innovate on new capabilities that break down barriers to growth for small and underrepresented businesses. We aim to enable the next generation of entrepreneurs by giving them access to capabilities traditionally reserved for only large retailers and by being a trusted partner at every stage of their selling journey.

Amazon’s new Catalytic Capital initiative will invest in venture capital funds that support companies led by Black, Latino, Indigenous, women, and LGBTQIA+ founders. Amazon expects to support more than 10 funds and over 200 companies through the next year.

Amazon’s partnership with small businesses enables big possibilities, and we are proud of how we have been able to help small businesses continue to grow and find success by selling in our store. Together, we make a great team. We hope you enjoy reading our latest Small Business Empowerment Report as much as we enjoy inventing ways to accelerate small business success.

Thank you,

Dharmesh M. Mehta
Vice President, Worldwide Selling Partner Services, Amazon

*Based on data for the 12-month period ending April 30, 2021.